Post navigation

My name is Heather. I am a 27 year old woman… I’m a Sagittarius, enjoy watching “The Simpsons” and love long walks on the beach – although in Seattle, that doesn’t happen without rain boots. I also love discussing philosophy and the meaning of life, and since May 2013 that conversation has been amended to “the meaning of life sans-homework.” Recent graduate school graduate which has been cool but has left me in a precarious position: (a) broke, (b) employed in a semi-related field, and (c) completely unaccustomed to life after school. Sound familiar?

Flashback to 1993. A newly-turned seven-year-old, I sat in front of the television with my family watching the Super Bowl. I sat on the edge of the couch in anticipation: my all-time favorite singer was performing at the Half Time show. I watched as he stood on the stage, white shirt and long black hair flowing, surrounded by thousands of people all holding cards that, when raised in unison, portrayed several people of all races holding hands in a circle around the stadium. He spoke to the world and lead thousands of people in song, united in purpose and in message, across color and creed and cultural divides, across state lines and TV screens; I watched him “Heal the World” in front of my eyes.

The echo of a hundred-thousand people’s voice resonated within my ears as they all sung “change can only come when we stand together as one.” It was at that moment, with tears in my eyes and purpose in my young heart, that I realized my duty to mankind is to help see that this happens.

The road to realizing this purpose has not been clear; “heal[ing] the world” left me with a hugely vague direction and endless possibilities. One thing I have always known is that the key to success lay in education, community involvement, and leadership. Leadership has been the most significant catalyst of my life and has inspired me to work toward my goals. I learned how important good leaders are not only to others, but to oneself as well. Leaders are the voice of populations; but most importantly a good leader gives voice to populations.

But leaders cannot give that which they do not have.

Philosophers of the Enlightenment have stated that the only legitimate form of power is that which has been given willingly by community members – by consent – and they do so with the assumption that the individual has a superior knowledge or know-how in some regard.

What is the relevance you might ask?

So I’m going through this really crazy space where I’m trying to piece together the weird bits of myself like interests, career aspirations, and passions all while going through this funky phase of leaving a 22-year-long student identity and bumping into reality. My friends and family tell me I have a habit of telling too much – in the light of that sentiment I’m going to expose more. You see, I have a dream. I want to be a life coach. My fear is that because my life is imperfect, I cannot offer credible advice.

Here is what I propose. I’m going to go through the steps and ponder out loud. My hope is that by exposing my fears and unconscious beliefs I will be able to work through my own issues and be able to articulate the lessons that I have learned to help others do the same. Through our shared journeys we can become more authentic and conscious leaders.

By transforming ourselves, we also transform the world – one day at a time. Life is about Everyday Choices.